Jontay Porter has been banned from the NBA for life.
A league investigation found that the former Toronto Raptors forward violated league rules by disclosing information to sports bettors and betting on NBA games.
Here’s the full statement from the NBA:
Porter, 24, played for the Raptors on a two-way deal this season, splitting time between the NBA and the Raptors’ G League affiliate. He averaged 4.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game in 26 appearances for Toronto this season and played 11 games for the Memphis Grizzlies last year.
“There is nothing more important than protecting the integrity of NBA competition for our fans, our teams and everyone associated with our sport, which is why Jontay Porter’s blatant violations of our gaming rules are being met with the most severe punishment,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement.
“While legal sports betting creates transparency that helps identify suspicious or abnormal activity, this matter also raises important issues about the sufficiency of the regulatory framework currently in place, including the types of bets offered on our games and players. Working closely with all relevant stakeholders across the industry, we will continue to work diligently to safeguard our league and game.”
In the NBA’s investigation, it was discovered that Porter disclosed confidential information about his own health status to an NBA bettor before a game on March 20. Another individual then placed an $80,000 parlay bet to win $1.1 million, with props relying on Porter performing poorly. Porter played just three minutes in that game before claiming he felt ill.
Additionally, the league found that Porter placed 13 bets on NBA games using an associate’s online betting account from January through March of this year. The bets ranged from $15 to $22,000 with a total of $54,094. Porter’s payout from all his bets was $76,059, which resulted in a net winning of $21,965. Porter did not bet on any games he played in, but he did bet on three different Raptors games — losing all three wagers.
Porter, who was undrafted out of Missouri in 2019, is the younger brother of Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr.
He hadn’t played since March 22, when he played 21 minutes and posted seven points, eight rebounds and three assists in what will be his final NBA game.
